The Heartland National Honor Society had a coloring contest for grades K-6 honoring Veterans.
Heartland Community Schools held its annual Veterans Day Program on Monday, November 11, to honor and thank all American Veterans. The Heartland Honor Society organized and conducted the program and did a fantastic job!
The Heartland High School Choir opened the program by performing the “Star-Spangled Banner,” followed by readings from the elementary essay contest winners. The essay topic was “Why Veterans are Important to Our Nations’ History and Future,” and students in grades 4-12 had the opportunity to submit essays.
McKinley Hiebner (5th grade) won first place, Adelaide Bartek (4th grade) took second place, and Landon Thieszen (5th grade) took third place. Henderson State Bank awarded monetary prizes to all the students who placed. Ryker Stebbing (7th grade) won first place in the secondary division, Lakyn Quiring (7th grade) placed second, and Tori Thieszen (7th grade) placed third for their essays.
The Heartland third and fourth-grade class sang the song “For the Good of Many.” The NHS also hosted a coloring contest for K-6 students. The winners were announced at the program, and the pictures were displayed outside the theater for viewing.
Austin Schmidt recognized the Veterans and any current military members attending the program. After each name was called, they stood and were applauded by the audience. Those recognized were Kevin Bearinger, Jerome Chvatal, Jeff Dunsmoore, Sgt. Laird McCormick, Ryan Minary, Joe Pankratz, and Mark Perez.
The Heartland FFA had a special recognition for the remaining Veterans present. They presented five Veterans with metal yard signs they had created and made. In August, the Heartland FFA received funding from the Aurora Cooperative after being selected as a Syngenta Blue Jacket Program Winner. The funds are to be used for various community service projects. They plan on giving five metal yard signs to Veterans every year.
Those receiving the Veteran metal signs and FFA presenters Emma Ott and Maddie Janzen are pictured below. From L to R: Bill Bamesberger, Thomas Vaught, William Batson, Don Klute, and Jim Dyer.
Before closing the program, Jamisen Klein and Lydia Jahnke told the history of taps, followed by several band members playing taps. The audience sang “God Bless America” and was invited to join them for refreshments in the cafeteria.
